Phoenix bound for losing season

Published: Sunday, November 4, 2012 at 01:10 AM.

A freak occurrence had produced an opponent’s touchdown for the second game in a row. Wrightenberry said his immediate thoughts were of disbelief.

“Really?” he said. “Really? It would go that way, you know?”

-- EXTRA POINTS …: Citadel, with cornerback Brandon McCladdie drawing the primary assignment, contained Elon star Aaron Mellette better than any Southern Conference defense this season. Mellette had nine catches for 102 yards and didn’t score a touchdown for the first time since the season opener. He had piled up at least 154 receiving yards and scored a total of 10 touchdowns in the previous four games. Early in the fourth quarter, McCladdie pulled down an interception at the goal line on an underthrown deep ball intended for Mellette. … Elon reached the Citadel 6-yard line in the third quarter and came away with no points. Wilson’s third-down pass bounced off tight end Chris Harris’ fingertips in the back of the end zone. On fourth down, Wilson fired behind an open Mellette near the same spot. … Wilson finished 37 of 50 for 351 passing yards. Elon was on the Citadel 5 when he lost a fumble with seven seconds left in the game. … In the third quarter, Elon running back Karl Bostick suffered what Swepson believes to be a season-ending ankle injury. A wall of Citadel defenders bent Bostick backward with his legs tucked under him. Elon players were quick to signal for help. Bostick stayed suited up on the sideline and hobbled into the visiting locker room on crutches when the game ended. … Robinson, a junior, ran for a career-high 178 yards and Dupree had 100 yards as Citadel rushed for 366 yards on 57 carries. … The Hail Mary marked the first touchdown pass of Miller’s college career. He’s a sophomore. … Shreiner punted twice for Elon after Kenton Beal left with an undisclosed injury. Shreiner, a fifth-year senior, never had punted in college before Saturday. … The loss here meant Elon will finish with a losing record for the second season in a row. “It’s so disappointing,” Wrightenberry said. “That’s all I want to do is win. That’s all you play for. You put in all that time and everything and you come out on Saturday and to lose, it’s just terrible.”

Elon’s fifth loss in the last six games contained a Hail Mary touchdown pass for Citadel as the first half expired, a 31-6 deficit in the third quarter and a run of 18 unanswered points to climb within serious striking distance in the fourth quarter.

So after a gorgeous homecoming afternoon at the Military College of South Carolina, the Phoenix (3-6 overall, 1-5 league) left with the hope for a winning season extinguished and more hair-pulling details to digest.

“A bad tease, you could call it,” safety Chandler Wrightenberry said. “It frustrates you, because you see that when you do things right you can get back in the game and be on top. But we just couldn’t do them at the right time.”

Trailing 31-24 with less than nine minutes remaining – and a fired-up Jones barking “we’re in this, boys, we’re in this” – Elon’s defense returned to the field riding a hot hand, having stuffed Citadel’s triple-option rushing attack on four straight possessions.

Momentum had shifted. And another stop would turn the tone from interesting to potentially dramatic.

But Citadel responded in clutch fashion, churning out 14 plays – all of them runs – that covered 75 plays and lasted more than six minutes. Darien Robinson’s 3-yard touchdown ended the march and essentially clinched victory with 2:33 left.

“We just couldn’t make a stop there,” Swepson said.

Three plays after Robinson’s 60-yard burst on the Bulldogs’ first snap of the second half, Elon had tumbled into a 25-point hole.

But with Elon’s defense adjusting and improving, Elon’s offense needed less than 13 second-half minutes to heat up and rally.

“We had the momentum,” Brown said. “We knew we were back in the game. But once again, the mistakes killed us in the end. Too many mistakes to win, and another tough loss.”

Citadel scored on its fourth play of the game, with Ben Dupree bouncing outside and racing along the sideline to complete a 55-yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown.

The Bulldogs’ lead grew to 17-3 early in the second quarter when Thomas Warren banked in a 47-yard field goal off the left upright.

The end of the first half unfolded in an especially memorable – or, for Elon, horrific – manner.

Citadel’s Mitchell Jeter sacked Wilson, pushing Elon back to the Bulldogs’ 27-yard line. With the Phoenix facing fourth-and-6, Swepson swiftly called timeout to mull the situation.

He opted not to go for it and Shreiner then missed a 44-yard attempt. The game clock showed 26.3 seconds left in the second quarter, an amount of time, available because of the quick timeout, which soon would haunt Elon.

“When I took that timeout, I knew what I was doing,” Swepson said. “I knew there was going to be some time left. But I just wanted to give myself an opportunity to make a good decision on fourth down.

“If it was on the 16-yard line where I knew it was a gimme field goal, I would’ve ran the clock down. But (Shreiner) was right on the edge of (his range).”

Citadel advanced to midfield on the ensuing possession. Its final snap of the first half came on third down with 7.4 seconds left. Aaron Miller scrambled away from Elon linebacker Blake Thompson, who nearly sacked the Bulldogs’ quarterback in front of the Phoenix sideline.

Miller, free of pressure, planted his feet and fired what become a 51-yard Hail Mary touchdown to Matt Thompson, who turned and dived into the end zone after the lofted ball dropped just behind the outstretched arms of a leaping Wrightenberry.

“I reached for it and it went right over my head,” Wrightenberry said. “Just luck. That was just a lucky break.”

Wrightenberry landed flat on his back. He stayed there a few moments, briefly grasping his helmet as more cannon blasts rocked the stadium in celebration.

A freak occurrence had produced an opponent’s touchdown for the second game in a row. Wrightenberry said his immediate thoughts were of disbelief.

“Really?” he said. “Really? It would go that way, you know?”

-- EXTRA POINTS …: Citadel, with cornerback Brandon McCladdie drawing the primary assignment, contained Elon star Aaron Mellette better than any Southern Conference defense this season. Mellette had nine catches for 102 yards and didn’t score a touchdown for the first time since the season opener. He had piled up at least 154 receiving yards and scored a total of 10 touchdowns in the previous four games. Early in the fourth quarter, McCladdie pulled down an interception at the goal line on an underthrown deep ball intended for Mellette. … Elon reached the Citadel 6-yard line in the third quarter and came away with no points. Wilson’s third-down pass bounced off tight end Chris Harris’ fingertips in the back of the end zone. On fourth down, Wilson fired behind an open Mellette near the same spot. … Wilson finished 37 of 50 for 351 passing yards. Elon was on the Citadel 5 when he lost a fumble with seven seconds left in the game. … In the third quarter, Elon running back Karl Bostick suffered what Swepson believes to be a season-ending ankle injury. A wall of Citadel defenders bent Bostick backward with his legs tucked under him. Elon players were quick to signal for help. Bostick stayed suited up on the sideline and hobbled into the visiting locker room on crutches when the game ended. … Robinson, a junior, ran for a career-high 178 yards and Dupree had 100 yards as Citadel rushed for 366 yards on 57 carries. … The Hail Mary marked the first touchdown pass of Miller’s college career. He’s a sophomore. … Shreiner punted twice for Elon after Kenton Beal left with an undisclosed injury. Shreiner, a fifth-year senior, never had punted in college before Saturday. … The loss here meant Elon will finish with a losing record for the second season in a row. “It’s so disappointing,” Wrightenberry said. “That’s all I want to do is win. That’s all you play for. You put in all that time and everything and you come out on Saturday and to lose, it’s just terrible.”